Jessica Lynch

Jessica Lynch (born April 26, 1983) in Palestine, West Virginia. Lynch, a Quartermaster Corps Private First Class (PFC) in the United States Army, was a prisoner of war of the Iraqi military in the 2003 invasion of Iraq who was rescued by United States forces on April 1, 2003. Lynch's rescue was the first of an American POW since World War II and the first ever of a woman.

Lynch's injuries

It was unclear what injuries Lynch had at the time of her rescue, but it appears she suffered a head laceration, an injury to her spine and fractures to her right arm, both legs, and her right foot and ankle. Conflicting reports also existed that Lynch had suffered gunshot wounds to her left arm and right leg. Dr. Harith Al-Houssona, a doctor in the Nasirya hospital, described Lynch's injuries as "a broken arm, a broken thigh, and a dislocated ankle." According to Al-Houssona, there was no sign of gunshot or stab wounds, and Lynch's injuries were consistent with those that would be suffered in a car accident. Al-Houssona's claims were later confirmed in a U.S. Army report leaked on July 10, 2003. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,91554,00.html

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In the book "I Am A Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story" by Rick Bragg, the author alleges that Lynch was raped and sodomized during her captivity, based on medical records and her pattern of injuries. Iraqi doctors who treated her have disputed the claim as Lynch's clothes were on, showed no sign of being removed at any point, and the degree of her injuries did not indicate rape - although they were not looking for signs of rape at the time. Lynch has no memory of being raped nor of being slapped or mistreated during her captivity.

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